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Anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments are rising, and according to the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance‘s latest annual report, the real estate industry is at the epicenter.
The report, which is based on Alliance member surveys, revealed that real estate agents in the for-sale market (22.2 percent), outdated legal forms that require homebuyers or renters to use an outdated name or gender marker (17.8 percent) and real estate agents in the rental market (15.7 percent) are the top three sources of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. Homesellers (14.4 percent) and landlords (13.5 percent) are also contributing to discrimination issues, with members reporting issues with sellers and landlords refusing to sell or rent their property to an LGBTQ+ person.
Justin Ziegler
LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance President Justin Ziegler said the Trump Administration’s anti-LGBTQ policies — especially those attacking transgender and gender expansive (TGX) people — has created a dangerous and antagonistic environment.
“LGBTQ+ people are facing the greatest hostility since the AIDS epidemic because of the current administration’s anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-TGX executive orders, along with its efforts to end DEI,” Ziegler said in a statement. “We are troubled to learn that our members believe that real estate professionals were the leading cause of record-high housing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.”
“Our industry has a lot more work to do to root out discrimination and ensure that the LGBTQ+ community has equal access to fair housing and equal access to homeownership,” he added.
A third of survey respondents said housing discrimination has gotten worse over the past three years, with 58 percent of LGBTQ respondents and 42 percent of heterosexual respondents saying President Trump’s anti-transgender policies will cause more trans and gender expansive (i.e., people who eschew traditional gender identities and expressions) individuals and families with TGX children to relocate.
This uprooting, respondents said, will likely lead to poorer homeownership and financial outcomes for LGBTQ+ children.
Parents of heterosexual children were 10.4 percent more likely to believe that their child would have equal access to homeownership than parents with LGBTQ+ children. These parents were also 23.1 percent more confident about their child’s potential equal access to financial stability than parents with LGBTQ+ children.
More than 71 percent of parents with heterosexual children believe their child will have fair housing access in the future, compared to just 49.0 percent of parents with LGBTQ+ children.
“We recognize that more education is needed as those in the LGBTQ+ community had a different view than heterosexuals about numerous homeownership-related issues,” Ziegler said of the report’s findings.
In a phone call with Inman, Ziegler said the Trump Administration’s policies are forcing LGBTQ+ homeowners, especially those who are transgender or gender expansive, to consider moving to a new state or a new country to find safety. However, that safety comes at a high cost, with homeowners losing the benefit of their record-low mortgage rates and equity.
“I can’t tell you exactly how much TGX homeowners have lost, but I can tell you this: I bought a home five years ago. I sit on a 2.75 percent interest rate and my home has appreciated by about 60 to 70 percent since I purchased it. If I were to sell it, I would be sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash,” he said. “Let’s say I have $350,000, and if I were to take all of that cash and put it down on purchasing my same home right now, in today’s value, I would still have an increased mortgage payment, due to higher mortgage rates and appreciation trends.”
“I would not be able to afford the home that I’m living in,” he added. “And that’s the situation LGBTQ+ are facing.”
Ziegler said real estate agents are in a special position to help LGBTQ+ homebuyers, homesellers, and renters navigate a difficult housing and political landscape, but bias often gets in the way.
“The reality is the best thing that people can do in our industry is just treat everybody with dignity and respect,” he said. “Being inclusive just is going to create a stronger industry. Treating people the way you would want to be treated is going to create a stronger industry. I mean, how great would the world be if everyone were just accepted for who they are?”
“And I think that that’s, that’s probably the baseline of how to become an ally,” he added. “And even from the business standpoint of it, with homeownership being lower within the LGBTQ+ community, there are more opportunities to get business with folks in a community where the home ownership rate is lower. Why wouldn’t you want that opportunity? And all you have to do is accept people for who they are.”
Ziegler said Pride Month is the perfect opportunity for agents to connect with the LGBTQ+ community by attending local Pride events, learning about LGBTQ+ history, and finding ways they can advocate for equality in their brokerages and communities by supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and bills that protect LGBTQ+ rights.
The Alliance president also said this is the time for LGBTQ+ agents to be more visible and show others, especially those who haven’t disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity, that they’re not alone.
“If you’re in a community where you feel safe to do so, now is the time to be out. Now is the time to be visible,” he said. “When I was 16 years old, I put a rainbow on the back of my car. I wasn’t trying to make any kind of political statement. I just wanted the people around me to know that they knew someone who was gay.”
“It’s very easy to marginalize someone when you feel they’re not part of your community. It’s very easy to lump someone into a ‘those people’ category,” he added. “But when you know someone, you have a relationship with them, whether they’re your neighbor, coworker or friend, it makes it a lot harder to hate on a community.”
Read the full Alliance report below:
